Pressure regulating equipment



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Sept. 29, 1959 D. H. YOUNG PRESSURE REGULATING EQUIPMENT Filed July 5, 1956 ATTORNEY United States Patent Mi PRESSURE REGULATING EQUIPMENT David Herbert Young, Eastcote, England, assignor to Specialties Development Corporation, Belleville, N..l., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 5, 1956, Serial No. 596,056

7 Claims. (Cl. 137-495) The present invention relates to gaseous supply equipment, such as oxygen breathing apparatus in which gas is fed from a container at a pressure which is held substantially constant by means of a reducing valve and is particularly though not exclusively directed to oxygen breathing apparatus for medical use. Alternatively the present invention may be applied to the construction of oxygen breathing equipment for use in aircraft and other like applications.

It is well known in oxygen breathing equipment to fit a manually controlled valve onto the oxygen cylinder. The manually controlled valve assembly is then fitted with a reducing valve and metering jet assembly. An alternative arrangement, which is sometimes employed, is to fit a copper or like sealing disc into the neck of the oxygen cylinder. This disc is then ruptured by a pin or like member when the reducing valve is screwed onto the cylinder.

The object of the present invention is to facilitate the distribution and replenishment of oxygen cylinders for oxygen breathing apparatus, while at the same time making the control system of the oxygen cylinders simple and as little susceptible to damage in transit as possible.

In the ordinary way, the reducing valve assembly of oxygen breathing apparatus employed for medical purposes is retained by the doctor, but the manually operated valve is necessarily a permanent fixture to the oxygen cylinder and, with its exposed valve spindle, is susceptible to damage in transit.

The present invention provides a structure in which the oxygen cylinder is held in a closed condition without externally exposed vulnerable partsand without the use of a sealing disc.

According to the present invention, gaseous supply equipment of the type referred to is characterised by the combination of a container for gas under pressure having a spring-loaded non-return valve member fitted as a closure and a separate control head adapted to be secured in gas-tight relation to the container, the control head incorporating a spring loaded member, such as a diaphragm or piston, movable under gaseous pressure and supporting a plunger member arranged so as to be coaxial with the non-return valve member and to unseat said non-return valve member when the control head is secured to the container.

The attachment of the control head converts the nonreturn valve in the oxygen cylinder into a diaphragmcontrolled reducing valve operating in accordance with conventional principles.

The non-return valve member is preferably a springloaded poppet valve member located in the cylinder neck, which has an upwardly projecting stem, which is at the same time well recessed within the neck so that it cannot be unseated accidentally. For constructional and assembly reasons, the non-return valve member is preferably arranged in a separate housing which is permanently secured to the neck of the cylinder. Preferably means are provided for controlling the outlet pressure of the apparatus.

One form of apparatus made in accordance with the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein the single figure is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus.

In the drawing, the valve housing 1 is permanently secured to an oxygen cylinder 2. The housing 1 holds a valve member 3 which is urged upwardly by a spring 4 against a valve seating Washer 5. It will readily be appreciated that, when the cylinder contains compressed gas, the internal oxygen pressure forces the valve member 3 against the seating Washer 5 and effectively seals the cylinder.

The valve seating washer 5 is held in a support member 6, which is itself clamped firmly into the housing 1 by means of a valve guide 7. The valve member 3 has a screw threaded stem 10 which is threaded into a support member 3a. The member 3a is of generally hexagonal shape with rounded corners to enable it to slide freely in the guide 7. 'The valve member 3 is locked against rotation (and therefore against longitudinal movement) in the support member 3a by means of a lock pin 8, which engages against aflat provided by a squared portion 9 of the stem 10. The exterior shaping of the support member 3a provides.the necessary gas passages between it and the valve guide 7. A pressure gauge 11 is preferably provided to indicate the internal pressure of the cylinder 2. a

The valve structure formed by the members 3 and 3a co-operates with the control head to turn the closure valve of the cylinder into a reducing valve. It will be observed that the top end of the member 3a isslightly recessed in the valve guide 7 so that the valve cannot be damaged or accidentally depressed while the cylinder is in transit or in store.

The control head consists of a housing 15 adapted to be secured in gas tight manner to the valve housing 1 and is for this purpose provided with sealing washer 16 and retainer 17. A diaphragm 18 is mounted in the housing 15 and is provided with a support member 19 against which a diaphragm spring 20 presses. The

spring 20 is backed by an adjusting nut 21, screw threaded into a diaphragm cover 22, secured to the housing 15. This permits an initial setting of the spring loading of the diaphragm 18 to be obtained.

The diaphragm 18 has a diaphragm boss 23 secured thereto and this boss is freely movable in relation to the diaphragm cover 22 and the adjusting nut 21. The boss 23 is internally threaded to receive a valve plunger member 24, the space between the plunger member 24 and the boss 23 being sealed by means of an O-ring 25.

The plunger member 24 is rotatable in the boss 23 so as to permit the distance between the bottom end of the plunger member and the diaphragm to be varied. The

7 head end of the plunger member is splined and is engaged in a like recess in an inner cover member 26. The inner cover member 26 has an outer cover member 27 secured thereto and is rotatable with respect to the diaphragm cover 22, but is held against longitudinal movement by means of balls 28 located in a groove in the periphery of the cover 22.

The cover formed by the members 26 and 27 may be held in a number of positions by a spring-loaded ball 29, which engages in a series of apertures 30 in the inner cover member 26. The rotation of the cover is limited to less than one full turn by means of dowel pins 31 in the diaphragm cover 22, which act as stops to engage a dowel pin 32 held in the inner cover member 26.

The control head assembly is screwed onto the valve housing 1 with the plunger member 24 raised, whereby the bottom end of the plunger member 24 then is just Patented Sept. 29,1959,

clear of the top of the support member 3a, and does not unseat the valve member 3*from the sealing washer 5 until the plunger member is screwed down. The gas released from the cylinder 2 then passes up through passages 33-into a space 34 beneath the diaphragm 18, from whence it passes through a filter 35 into a passage 36 and out through a gas outlet 37.

In passing from the passage 36 to the gas outlet 37, the gas passes through a metering orifice of variable size. The orifice is determined between a seating 38 and a stud 39, by a wavy resilient washer 40, the size of the orifice being varied by tightening or slackening the stud 39.

The gas pressure in the space 34 acting on the diaphragm 18 against the spring 20 controls itself in the manner of a conventional reducing valve by governing the efiective aperture between the valve member 3 and its seating washer 5.

In order to increase or decrease the gas outlet pressure, the plunger member 24 is rotated in the boss 23 so as to increase or decrease the distance between the head of the valve member 3 and the diaphragm 18. The method of adjustment employed is very light in operation, since the end pressure on the plunger member 24 is quite small. The cover formed by the members 26 and 27 protects the plunger 24 from longitudinal displacement by external forces.

I claim:

1. A combined flow and pressure regulating control head and housing for use with a gas pressure container which is adapted to be fitted as a closure, a housing equipped with a spring loaded non-return valve, a control head comprising a casing having a chamber therein, a

member moveable under gaseous pressure mounted in said chamber dividing said chamber into an upper portion and a lower portion and having a vertical bore extending therethrough, inlet means in said casing, outlet means in saidcasing, passageway means including said lower chamber portion connecting said inlet means and said outlet means, a spring biasing said member against pressure in the lower chamber portion, travel limiting means adjacent said moveable member in opposition to said spring to limit the travel of said member under the action of said spring, a plunger screw threaded into said vertical bore to be longitudinally adjustably supported by said member and adapted to unseat said non-return valve when said member is moved under the action of said spring, a cover rotatably mounted on said casing and secured thereto against substantial axial motion in relation thereto, said plunger being connected to said cover for rotation therewith and being axially moveable in relation thereto, whereby rotation of said cover moves said plunger vertically with respect to said member.

2. A combined flow and pressure regulating control head and housing according to claim 1, wherein said plunger extends vertically past said moveable member to engage said cover.

3. A combined flow and pressure regulating control head and housing according to claim 1, wherein a spring backing device is adjustably connected to said casing to provide for adjustment of the loading of said spring.

4. A combined flow and pressure regulating control head and housing according to claim 1, wherein said cover comprises an annular portion and a transverse portion, said annular portion being secured to said casing and said transverse portion being connected to said plunger.

5. A combined flow and pressure regulating control head and housing according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of balls engage said casing and said annular portion to rotatably secure said cover to said casing.

6. A combined flow and pressure regulating control.

head and housing according to claim 4, wherein said annular section is provided with a plurality of circumferentially arranged radial holes and said casing is provided with spring loaded means adapted to engage said holes to hold said cover in any of a number of positions of rotation.

' 7. A combined flow and pressure regulating control head and housing for use with a gas pressure container which is adapted to be fitted as a closure, a housing equipped with a spring loaded non-return valve, a control head comprising a casing including an upper section and a lower section; a diaphragm clamped between said sections, said lower section having an inlet passageway for receiving pressurized gas from the housing to act on said diaphragm and an outlet passageway for conducting the pressurized gas away from said diaphragm; a spring biasing said diaphragm against the action of the pressurized gas; a boss extending through said diaphragm and connected thereto to move therewith and having a bore there through; travel limiting means adjacent said boss to limit the travel of said boss under the action of said spring; a plunger mounted in said bore and threadably engaging said boss for vertical adjustment in relation thereto, said plunger having an end extending downwardly past said boss to engage the nonreturn valve and having an end extending upwardly past said boss; a cover fitted over said casing including an annular portion and a transverse portion; and a plurality of balls engaging said annular portion and said casing to rotatably mount said cover on said casing and to secure said cover against substantial axial motion in relation to said casing, the upper end of said plunger being connected to said transverse portion for rotation therewith and being axially moveable in relation thereto, whereby rotation of said cover moves said plunger vertically with respect to said diaphragm to operate the non return valve and control its setting.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,830,536 Fowler Nov. 3, 1931 2,161,544 Baker June 6, 1939 2,615,287 Senesky Oct. 28, 1952 2,620,817 Blaydes Dec. 9, 1952 2,757,898 Cox Aug. 7, 1956 2,768,806 Koehler Oct. 30, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 69,315 Sweden Sept. 4, 1925 65,090 Denmark Nov. 4, 1956 

